Page 69 of Her Billionaire Bargain (Kensington Square)

I couldn’t ignore anything about him if I tried. No matter how scared I was.

I didn’t want to be in this situation with him. I’d wanted to keep it strictly professional. If I had, I wouldn’t have been fretting all day about cute brunettes with perky tits and liquid blue eyes and hurting his feelings because I was jealous.

I was so jealous. What was I supposed to do with that?

You could try being an adult and apologize. You know, giving your daughter that good example you wanted to be for her.

While I was lost in my recriminations, Dex and Berry headed for the house, with Bob bringing up the lollygagging rear.

I started to tuck away the paperwork I’d brought down to have Dex sign—I’d seen his chaotic desk drawers on my last visit, so I figured he might need another copy—but I wasn’t nimble enough and dropped the damn briefcase, sending files in about fifty different directions.

Great job, Wilde. Show him how flustered you are. As if he doesn’t already know.

Bob veered around Dex and Berry and hurried up the steps to the patio, just in case I’d happened to spill Milk Bones along with every file I’d ever owned.

Dex immediately crouched to help me pick up the paperwork. He didn’t speak or smile. The loss of his easy affection, so much a part of him, struck me in the face like an icy-cold wind. I’d come to enjoy it in such a short time.

And my snap judgments and insecurity were what made it go away.

“I’m sorry,” I mumbled miserably.

He didn’t even look at me as he continued shuffling papers into my briefcase, all out of order. I’d have a devil of a time putting them back to rights. But he was helping so I shut the hell up instead of pouring gasoline on the wounds I’d caused.

“Me too. But not surprised. Want to stay for pizza?” He asked it dismissively as if he assumed I’d refuse.

I didn’t want him to be right, especially when Berry had immediately stood taller with excitement. But it was one thing for him to pay for stuff when we were, kind of, seeing each other. Now I felt as if we were absolutely not seeing each other, which put his generosity in a stickier category.

“If I can pay for our share—”

“Jesus, Shelby.” He shoved my briefcase at me and rose to muss Berry’s hair. “Another time, kiddo.”

Her lip jutted out as the excitement in her hazel eyes dimmed. “You won’t forget?”

“I can promise you I will forget nothing that happened today.” His intense green gaze landed on my face for a painfully long moment before he whistled to Bob and headed inside. “Oh, and I saw the papers for me to sign. I have my own copy, but good to see where your priorities lie.”

The barb hit me directly in the chest so I clamped down on my tongue as the back door slapped shut.

“I wanted to stay for pizza, Mom. We were having fun.”

“Yeah, I know, baby. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

I was having fun with him too. Probably too much fun.

We started to walk back around the house to the driveway until I suddenly recalled he’d driven us here. Lovely. My purse was upstairs on the terrace.

No phone. No way to make a seamless escape.

Ugh. Kill me now.

I glanced down at my annoyed daughter.

“I have to go in to get my bag so I can call an Uber.”

“Why?” She placed her hands on her hips. “Dex has a car. He will drive us. Or at least me.”

The accuracy of her statements burrowed a new hole in my already hollowed-out chest. I bit my lip, trying to decide how to handle this mess, when the front door opened.

Dex jogged out, holding my purse. “Forget this?”

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